again to watch.

"But he couldn't have done that," cried Mark; "certainly not when I was
on guard. It must have been your turn, Dean, and you went to sleep."

"That I declare I didn't!" cried the accused, and the two boys now gazed
severely at their men, who looked at one another, as if feeling guilty,
"I swear I didn't, messmate. I couldn't have slept for thinking that
some of the niggers would come stealing, and steal my life," grunted
Dan.

"Same here," growled Buck.

A rough cross-examination ensued--a very hard one too, for Mak nodded
his replies to fit his misunderstanding; but at last the investigators
felt convinced that they were only listening to the truth, and that,
thanks to his size, activity, and possible resemblance to some animal,
the pigmy had had no difficulty about stealing into the camp for
supplies.

"That's right enough, gentlemen. I believe the little beggar could
tickle you on one side and make you turn over, thinking it was a fly,
while he helped hisself on the other and went off again like a monkey."

During the latter part of the examination Mark's father and the doctor
joined them, full of satisfaction that their forebodings were false, and
glad to welcome the friendly blacks again. They too learned that Mak
and the pigmy had kept up their watch till the last night, when they had
come upon two of the Illakas stealing into the camp. But one of them
got away, and the manner of his escape was explained in pantomime by
Mak, who made his little companion show how it occurred; and this, it
seemed, was by his being pursued right up to the top of one of the
further walls and then right along it in the darkness till he could get
no further and had to jump, the Pig making it all clear as daylight, to
use Buck's words, for he took them to the place, and while they stood
below watching, the little fellow mounted to the top, then ran right
along and dived right off.

"Good heavens!" cried the doctor. "The poor fellow must be killed!"

"Yes," said Mark's father, and he involuntarily took out his
handkerchief to wipe his moist hands.

"Here, quick!" said the doctor. "He must be lying somewhere below
there;" and he made for the imagined spot close by, followed by the
rest, evidently to Mak's delight, for he began to grin hugely and raised
up suspicion in the boys that their sympathy was being wasted, for all
at once Pig hopped back on to the top of the wall, baboon fashion, to
perch there l